Comments on: Butternut Squash & Squirrels

By: JP

JP — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:57:22 +0000

I am trying to grow longneck squash as part of my greater project, the sisters garden involving corn, beans & squash. I am having a hell of a time, mainly because the bean vines are overunning everything. The squirrels seem to be enjoying our tomato harvest yet again. We haven’t eaten any yet. I tried planting carrot from seed, with zero success.

By: sf gardener

sf gardener — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:25:50 +0000

this is amazing. i should lure squirrels to my backyard (they all live two blocks down on Golden Gate Park) and see if they would grow me some carrots. i can never get those right. let’s see this year, i’m being really thorough with my watering.

By: James Mann

James Mann — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:12:20 +0000

Now that’s a cool outcome isn’t it?

Our first experience with growing squash isn’t nearly as entertaining.

We just didn’t know what we were doing and planting everything more than a month too late. The squash managed to get to the size of golf balls, but we are looking forward to next year.

We will get things started early, using our garage as a greenhouse of sorts.

You should be sure to remember you little friends at Christmas time.

By: Ottawa Gardener

Ottawa Gardener — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:20:50 +0000

I should get the squirrels to plant some for me. That is one impressive collection of butternuts.

By: Stoughton Gardener

Stoughton Gardener — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:31:31 +0000

I have been following your blog now for several months and very much enjoy it. I had almost the exact same thing happen to me! I hadn’t intended to plant squash, but a plant appeared in my south facing flower bed. It first looked a bit like a zuchinni, then my husband said it was a punkin, but I was convinced once I saw the ‘fruit’, it was a butternut squash. We have alot of squirrels, and I knew it must of been one of them who planted the seed, although I’m still not sure where the seed came from. The plant sprawled out of the bed and took over a large portion of the lawn. We continued to just let it grow and by the end of the season we had at least 8 ripe squashes between 5 – 7.5 pounds each. We also picked the unripe ones before the frost killed the plant. I have heard you can cook the green ones like zuchinni. Have not attempted this yet. My husband now wants to plant squash or pumkins all over the lawn so he doesn’t have to mow next year! I’m all for it!

By: Blushign Hostess

Blushign Hostess — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:41:03 +0000

Hello! I have read along with you and had your link posted for sometime now because I thought your efforts to garden for sustinence would be important to them – thank you! In an effort to grow more food stuffs, we too planted huge squash borders and initally they grew, flourished, and were gorgeous! My research, after seeing them destroyed from the inside out, tells me that they were attacked by squash bores which apparently live in the mulch we had nearby. I was heart broken! However, one butternut squash was resilent, as if a nod to me for trying!

Now, I have learned my lesson. Got rid of the mulch, and threw handfuls of dried squash seeds I save each time we eat one into the cleared boarders agains. Now, even if they succomb again, we will have many weeks with vibrant squash borders free of cost. I will try again a number of the bore-prevention methods but if they fail I am resigned to their short-lived recycled-seed beauty!

Great blog and thanks again!